Jessie Holmes, a 43-year-old musher from Alabama who moved to Alaska over 20 years ago, earned his first victory in the Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race early Friday morning. Holmes crossed under the burled arch in Nome with 10 dogs on the line, led by Hercules and Polar, at 2:55 a.m.
Holmes completed his journey in a preliminary time of 10 days, 14 hours, 55 minutes, and 41 seconds, taking the lead from competitors Matt Hall and Paige Drobny. The race, which started in Fairbanks on March 3, covered 1,128 miles – the longest course in the Iditarod’s 53-year history.
Despite his long journey to this moment, Holmes described the win as “magical” and credited his team for their hard work. He had spent much of the race ahead of most competitors by giving his dogs ample rest early on and delaying longer mandatory stops until later.
Hall, who finished in second place, praised Holmes’ strategy, saying he was “done chasing” after realizing he couldn’t catch up. Paige Drobny took third place, marking her best finish yet, while Michelle Phillips is expected to arrive in Nome later Friday evening.
Holmes has a large fan base outside of Alaska, with 24,000 followers on Facebook. He had struggled with health issues in recent years but was able to focus on mushing without the commitments that came with his reality TV work.
The Iditarod champion’s journey began when he moved to Alaska in 2004 and started working as a professional dog musher. Holmes credits mentors like Bill Cotter, who taught him about mushing, for helping him improve over the years.
With this win, Holmes has finally achieved his goal of becoming an Iditarod champion after two decades of training and competing. He reflected on the moments that inspired him, including breathtaking sunsets and memories of legendary mushers.
Source: https://www.adn.com/outdoors-adventure/iditarod/2025/03/14/jessie-holmes-earns-his-first-iditarod-win